SUMITA

200cc Type 2C - 1952

The first step of a major industry

Because of a lack of storage space, destructive humidity and the shame of admitting that its first products were copies of Western machines, the history of the Japanese motorcycle industry, despite the 166 or so marques it has produced, is virtually unknown.

Rapid Advance

The production of motorcycles in japan really took off in the immediate post-WWII period, but few machines survived. Nevertheless, they reveal the incredibly rapid advance that Japan has made in its rise to world domination.

Copying Europe

Before the technical and aesthetic revolution, of the late 1950s led by Honda, most marques merely copied European designs. That was certainly the case with Sumita Hatsudoki (Sumita Engines) of Tokyo. This little marque, founded in 1950, put the 150cc Type C, an Overhead-valve single with twin exhausts on the market the following year. It resembled a British bike but wasn't a direct copy of any one machine. In 1952, it was joined by the 200cc Type 2C. The next year, Sumita was working on a single overhead-cam engine and launched the Type E, an amusing 90cc (48x49.5 mm) replica of a British big single, developing 3 hp at 5000 rpm and capable of 50 mph. It was produced through 1954, when the 150 C was replaced by the 199cc D (61x63 mm) with a single exhaust pipe, good for 4.8 hp and 50 mph, and fitted with plunger rear suspension. The final Sumita was the 1955 250 F (65x75 mm), a BSA-inspired overhead-valve model that developed 10 hp at 4500 rpm and could reach 55 mph.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 200cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke; coil ignition

Power Rating: 3.5 hp@ 4500 rpm

Valves: overhead; twin exhaust ports

Fuel System: carburetor

Transmission: 3-speed tank-shift, chain final drive

Suspension: telescopic forks (front); rigid (rear)

Brakes: offset drum (from & rear)

Wheels: 2.75x19 inch (front & rear)

Weight: 210 lb

Maximum Speed: 55 mph

This 7952 model, the first 200cc produced by Sumita, only differed from the original 150cc Type C in its bore and stroke dimensions.